Newark teachers reach tentative contract, union says

Superintendent of Newark schools Cami Anderson is shown in this file photo. A union spokesman says a tentative contract has been reached for teachers in the Newark public school system.Star-Ledger file photo

NEWARK — A union spokesman says a tentative contract has been reached for teachers in the Newark public school system.

American Federation for Teachers New Jersey spokesman Nat Bender said today that a deal has been reached, but he did not have further details.

With a proliferation of charter schools taking students away from traditional public schools in New Jersey's largest city, it seems likely that there will be large-scale layoffs of district teachers in coming years. The contract could address how that's handled.

There were also reports during negotiations that the contract could be the first in New Jersey to tie the pay of public school teacher partly to how well their students perform.